How do you feel about classes and other skilllines?

ThelerisTelvanni

Today I’d like to know how you all feel about our class and skillline system.

Please understand that this is not purely about skills and spells alone, but also about lore and immersion in the world. I personally have never played a Nord, Orc or Redguard since I am missing a non magical warrior class.

It is also about exploration! I personally loved to travel the world and collect spells from skillbooks and trainers. It was always nice to visit a mages guild guildhall or a magic shop and see what new spells they might have.

As someone that has played TES 3-5, I personally wish for some more of the old skilllines to return. Like the schools of magic and the speech craft skilllines, as well some new skilllines like a spear/halberd.

Some of the classes also have issues for me. I personally feel the Arcanist might have been some good black book skilllines for everyone. So we have a deadric cultist class for one specific prince. Of cause you can argue that is fine but on the other hand, we have something basic like a warrior class, that is still missing.

For example we had the following classes in TES4 Oblivion:

• Acrobat
• Agent
• Archer
• Assassin
• Barbarian
• Bard
• Battlemage
• Crusader
• Healer
• Knight
• Mage
• Monk
• Nightblade
• Pilgrim
• Rogue
• Scout
• Sorcerer
• Spellsword
• Thief
• Warrior
• Wichthunter

In comparison in TESO we have:

• Dragonknight
• Necromancer
• Nightblade
• Sorcerer
• Templar
• Arcanist
• Warden

Some of the new ones from TESO are rather specific. Also in TES4 whatever your class was, it was a starting point and you always had access to all skill lines and spells, where TESO has a lot of exclusives. The TES4 classes had however the problem with the attributes, so in TES5 Skyrim classes with all the restrictions were gone. That freedom was nice too.

So how do you guys feel about this topic?

colossalvoids

In general I am happy with the class and skill system of TESO, but I need more skilllines, the schools of magic, speachcraft or a spear/halberd. (Write a comment which ones!)

Personally I'm leaning into having more weapon choices, like no weapons, one sword and bare hand or some book, orb, scepter etc., spears to cover more archetypes, as current classes are already covering multiple in one box , for example sorc is a mage, battle mage, spellsword or enchanter while nightblade can be assassin, thief, spellsword, (blood) mage, illusionist, agent etc. depending how exactly you decided to build yourself or setup visually, or just assigning headcanon of your own. It's still way more identity than any tes game had, as classes were not more than just words on a character sheet.

Kendaric

As an oldschool TES player I miss a lot of the old classes and the skilllines for the schools of magic as well as others. It is about lore but also about player freedom, since I liked how unrestricted the older TES classsystems were. So please give us that freedom! Let us collect spells and skills in the world. Let the skilllines the requirements and passive perks.

Old school TES player since TES 1: Arena. I dislike ESO's classes and for the most part play with weapon skills only, the main exceptions being Warden and Nightblade as I tend to actually use at least a few class skills on them.

I'd have prefered a system where classes would only have granted passives and actual TES magic would have been available as skill lines. So basically a true TES game with multiplayer functionality.

Soarora

You’re missing “I’m a TES player but I think the class system is fine”. A classless system could’ve been done but we’re far too past that point. Another class would be too soon, maybe later. I’m fine with what we have now. That said, more roleplay spells available to everyone would be cool. Useless in PvP, useless in PvE, just roleplay spells.

TaSheen

Soarora wrote: »

You’re missing “I’m a TES player but I think the class system is fine”. A classless system could’ve been done but we’re far too past that point. Another class would be too soon, maybe later. I’m fine with what we have now. That said, more roleplay spells available to everyone would be cool. Useless in PvP, useless in PvE, just roleplay spells.

This.

barney2525

This is NOT a single player game.

There is NO PvP in Oblivion.

Therefore, there is much more options to have a wide variety of different skills to customize the character in Oblivion and Not have to worry about Game Balance.

STOP comparing Apples and Lobster Tails.

Makes no sense.

Soarora

barney2525 wrote: »

This is NOT a single player game.

There is NO PvP in Oblivion.

Therefore, there is much more options to have a wide variety of different skills to customize the character in Oblivion and Not have to worry about Game Balance.

STOP comparing Apples and Lobster Tails.

Makes no sense.

Exactly my problem with people wanting spellcrafting specifically. Spellcrafting is brokenly overpowered in every TES game it’s in. For Skyrim, it’s enchanting instead. If we get traditional spellcrafting in ESO, it’d still be brokenly OP because it’s never been anything but OP. It isn’t possible.

ThelerisTelvanni

As an oldschool TES player I miss a lot of the old classes and the skilllines for the schools of magic as well as others. It is about lore but also about player freedom, since I liked how unrestricted the older TES classsystems were. So please give us that freedom! Let us collect spells and skills in the world. Let the skilllines the requirements and passive perks.

Soarora wrote: »

You’re missing “I’m a TES player but I think the class system is fine”. A classless system could’ve been done but we’re far too past that point. Another class would be too soon, maybe later. I’m fine with what we have now. That said, more roleplay spells available to everyone would be cool. Useless in PvP, useless in PvE, just roleplay spells.

Sorry it seems like did not encompas that and did not include the TES players that might also be drawn to the current system and did not name them specifc. But if you are happy with the system why not choose option 1?

barney2525 wrote: »

This is NOT a single player game.

There is NO PvP in Oblivion.

Therefore, there is much more options to have a wide variety of different skills to customize the character in Oblivion and Not have to worry about Game Balance.

STOP comparing Apples and Lobster Tails.

Makes no sense.

Well they are putting a lot of effort in balanceing all kind sf spells and skills. And with srybing they are moving in a direction of a maybe more open system, that might be to my liking. I am primarily asking about the way to aquire skills and spells, not about how OP they have to be! But if you are happy how everything is why not select that as an answer?

Soarora

ThelerisTelvanni wrote: »

Soarora wrote: »

You’re missing “I’m a TES player but I think the class system is fine”. A classless system could’ve been done but we’re far too past that point. Another class would be too soon, maybe later. I’m fine with what we have now. That said, more roleplay spells available to everyone would be cool. Useless in PvP, useless in PvE, just roleplay spells.

Sorry it seems like did not encompas that and did not include the TES players that might also be drawn to the current system and did not name them specifc. But if you are happy with the system why not choose option 1?

Because I’m a TES player, not an MMORPGer and I do care about the lore implications. Yes, all the classes are extremely specific when they don’t really have a good reason to be but I make it work. My Arcanist does have a working relationship with Hermaeus Mora, my Templar did worship Meridia once, I use DK as “fire mage” but I do have a DK in the “maybe I’ll make you one day” pile that is an actual DK— Tcaesci-based, etc.

ThelerisTelvanni

As an oldschool TES player I miss a lot of the old classes and the skilllines for the schools of magic as well as others. It is about lore but also about player freedom, since I liked how unrestricted the older TES classsystems were. So please give us that freedom! Let us collect spells and skills in the world. Let the skilllines the requirements and passive perks.

@ZOS_Kevin I had an error message when I created this poll and as I just noticed, it seems like it created the poll 2 times. Is there a way to merge them? Having it twice on the forum seems a little unpractical.

NotaDaedraWorshipper

" I loved TES5 Skyrim and the freedom of having no classes at all. Play as you want and choose the skills of whatever skillline you want! I’d love to have that in TESO!"

No classes has been a thing for a long time in TES, not just TES5

My option is:

"As an oldschool TES player I miss the character freedom of having any skill I want, not restricted by a forced class, along with the old schools of magic. It is about lore but also about player freedom, since I liked how unrestricted the older TES classsystems were, because they didn't really have "classes". So please give us that freedom! Let us collect spells and skills in the world. Let the skilllines the requirements and passive perks."

Marto

What Oblivion calls "classes" is not the same thing as traditional classes in an MMO. They'd be more accurately described as different starting presets, each with different starting values for your various skills.

I think an apples-to-apples comparison would be closer to

Oblivion Skills:

• Destruction, Restoration, Conjuration, Alteration, Illusion, Mysticism
• Blade, Blunt, Hand to Hand, Block, Marksman
• Heavy Armor, Light Armor, Athletics, Acrobatics
• Security, Sneak, Speechcraft, Mercantile
• Alchemy, Armorer

ESO Skills:

• Class skilltree #1, Class skilltree #2, Class skilltree #3,
• Two Handed, Dual Wield, One Handed and Shield, Bow, Destruction Staff, Restoration Staff
• Heavy Armor, Medium Armor, Light Armor
• Legerdemain, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, Fighter's Guild, Mage's Guild, Psijic Order, Assault, Support, Soul Magic
• Alchemy, Enchanting, Provisioning, Jewelrycrafting, Blacksmithing, Clothier, Woodworking

Of course there's a lot of overlap, since many class skills play the same role as weapon skill lines, and vice versa.
But look at it this way, and ESO doesn't offer any less customization than a mainline game. The main difference is that in ESO you eventually reach max level with most, if not all skill lines. But that's where skill slots, CP, and item sets come into play.

The early game in ESO is already pretty damn short by MMO standards. I don't think the game needs to bombard the player with tons of choices to what ultimately just amounts to being level 40 on bow by the time you reach level 30 on dual wield.

ThelerisTelvanni

As an oldschool TES player I miss a lot of the old classes and the skilllines for the schools of magic as well as others. It is about lore but also about player freedom, since I liked how unrestricted the older TES classsystems were. So please give us that freedom! Let us collect spells and skills in the world. Let the skilllines the requirements and passive perks.

Soarora wrote: »

ThelerisTelvanni wrote: »

Soarora wrote: »

You’re missing “I’m a TES player but I think the class system is fine”. A classless system could’ve been done but we’re far too past that point. Another class would be too soon, maybe later. I’m fine with what we have now. That said, more roleplay spells available to everyone would be cool. Useless in PvP, useless in PvE, just roleplay spells.

Sorry it seems like did not encompas that and did not include the TES players that might also be drawn to the current system and did not name them specifc. But if you are happy with the system why not choose option 1?

Because I’m a TES player, not an MMORPGer and I do care about the lore implications. Yes, all the classes are extremely specific when they don’t really have a good reason to be but I make it work. My Arcanist does have a working relationship with Hermaeus Mora, my Templar did worship Meridia once, I use DK as “fire mage” but I do have a DK in the “maybe I’ll make you one day” pile that is an actual DK— Tcaesci-based, etc.

You are right, it might have been better to word it diferently or simply add another option.